There has been a surge in popularity of the so-called xe2x80x9cclubxe2x80x9d stores wherein consumers often purchase goods in larger quantities than has typically been the custom. The popularity of these outlets and the increased demand for larger volume units for selling consumer products has led to a need for improved packaging.
The need for updated packaging is particularly difficult to satisfy for heavy duty liquid detergents and other liquid consumer products since the weight of the enhanced volume of liquid product poses formidable challenges to the packaging engineer. For instance, despite its larger size the package must still permit convenient dispensing by consumers, who range in age from children through middle aged adults and up into the older population. In addition, with the larger volume of liquid product, the difficulties in ensuring structural integrity of the package are markedly increased. Moreover, it is desirable to provide such packaging at a low cost to consumers.
Various containers for carrying larger volumes of liquids by consumers are known.
Prior to the invention of the present invention, the package of Gerhart et al., U.S. Ser. No. 09/350,476 was available to various members of the public without confidentiality restrictions. That package was a 300 oz. Container which includes one or more top walls having a vent opening and closure, a handle, a spigot for releasing product, and a measuring cap which serves as a closure for the spigot.
While this container has been well received, a disadvantage is that venting of the container requires partial unscrewing of the vent cap, and in the event that the bottle is transported or otherwise moved while the vent cap is not securely fastened, the possibility of product inadvertently escaping from the package exists.
Schulz, U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,293 discloses a gas permeable liquid closure for containers of liquids or solids which emit or absorb gas. The closure includes a gas permeable film of unsintered tetrafluoroethylene. The film is supported across an opening of the container by a perforated cap or perforated sealing diaphragm. The vent stopper of the ""293 patent is said to be suitable for containers of all kinds. The gas permeable material is an unsintered tetrafluoroethylene polymer with a fibrillatted structure and a density of less than about 1.4. It may be suitable to support the film to be used on one or both sides by supporting members such as perforated disks, diaphragms, lattices, meshes or grates or the like. Holding devices can have distinct profile rings. In FIG. 3, the disk of unsintered tetrafluoroethylene polymer with a fibrillated structure and a density of less than about 1.4 is held only by ring-shaped ridges and practically the entire surface of the disk is available for the passage of gas without coming in contact in the center with the cover bottom or the lockable core.
Baginski et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,454 discloses a venting cap with a hole and a semi-permeable membrane. The membrane is fitted in a housing of particular dimensions which is in turn fitted in a protrusion corresponding to the hole in the caps. The membrane is understood to be sufficiently permeable to gases which may be generated inside the container in order to allow the gases to escape to the ambient and sufficiently impermeable to the substance contained in the container in order to prevent significant leakage, preferably all of leakage. Suitable materials are said to include polyethylene, high and low density, polypropylene, nylon and PTFE. Preferred materials are polyethylene film sold under the trademark Tyvek and an acrylic copolymer cast on a non-woven support with a fluoro monomer post treatment sold under the trademark Versapor. The housing and the protrusion may be simply glued together, spin welded or interference fitted together. The cap may have a top wall and a depending skirt. Stern, U.S. Pat. 5,988,426 discloses a disposable plastic lid formed with a vent hole. A filter formed of a material such as polytetrafluoroethylene is mounted over the vent hole.
Jenkins et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,634 is directed to a rigid container structure for hermetic sealing of particulate solids which emit an off gas during containment. The chamber space is enclosed with a gas permeable imperforate membrane so as to selectively separate and retain an off gas out of contact with container contents. In FIGS. 8 and 9, a lattice arrangement is illustrated.
Eibner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,051 discloses a lid for a container for gas releasing liquids which includes a sealing cap having an opening closed by means of a foil of gas permeable, but liquid non-permeable material.
Bartur et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,096 is directed to a pressure equalizing and a foam eliminating cap having a disk made of gas permeable material which is sized so it fits within the annular seal.
Schwarz et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,414 discloses a lid having a pressure compensation device comprising a gas permeable, liquid impermeable membrane. The membrane is integrated in an upper cover portion of the lid by injection molding.
Costa et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,306 is directed to a dual cap lining or bi-directional venting which includes a disk shaped gas permeable material bottom layer and a polyethylene material top layer which is provided with apertures which communicate with the bottom layer.
Costa et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,936 is directed to a dual cap lining for bi-directional venting comprising a gas permeable material bottom layer having an extruded polyethylene material top layer which is provided with channels. The material of the bottom layer is gas permeable such that the dual lining allows bi-directional gas flow therethrough for gases which have built up in the interior of the container, and reverse venting to equilibrate for relatively increased external pressure.
Other closure patents of interest include Mattson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,867, Von Reis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,499, Painchaud et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,271, Gaines et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,784, Canzano et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,999, and Bilani et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,891.
The present inventors have discovered a new vent which can be used in a venting closure and particularly in venting closures for large heavy duty liquid detergent and other liquid laundry product containers. In one embodiment, the vent comprises a wall, a vent opening in the wall, and one or more spacers on the surface of a face of the wall. Most especially the spacers are protuberances, especially rounded protuberances. A liner is adhered to a portion of the surface of the face and spaced from the vent opening by the spacers. The liner is made of a material which permits air to pass through the vent hole, but preferably, the liner material does not permit liquids to pass through the vent hole. In an especially preferred embodiment, the liner is comprised of a tetrafluoroethylene polymer.
The application is also directed to a venting closure. In a first embodiment, the liner is friction fit and held at least in part by a wall which extends downwardly from a top wall of the closure. In another embodiment, the venting closure includes a liner which is spaced from the venting opening by spaces and is adhered to a portion of an inner face surface of the venting opening top wall.
In a still more preferred aspect of the invention, the venting closure is used in conjunction with a large volume heavy duty liquid detergent container. The container of the invention comprises a dispensing opening, a top wall, a side wall, a bottom wall, a container venting opening in at least one of the top and side walls, and a venting closure adapted to close the venting opening, wherein the closure includes a top closure wall, one or more spacers on an inner wall face of the top closure wall, a depending cylindrical side wall adjacent the inner face, a liner spaced from the venting opening by spacers adjacent the inner face, the liner being of a material which permits air to pass through the vent hole, the liner being partly adhered to the inner face surface.
In another embodiment, the container includes a top wall, a bottom wall and a container venting opening in at least one of the top and side walls, a venting closure, the venting closure including a top closure wall having an inner face and a liner adjacent the inner face, a spigot for releasing product from the product dispensing opening and a handle.
In a preferred embodiment, the top wall of the container includes the vent, the vent closure forming a closure for the vent, a handle, a pouring aperture and a pouring closure covering the pouring aperture. The top surfaces of the vent cap, the handle and the pouring closure are preferably generally parallel, and the height of the top surfaces of the vent cap and the pouring closure are preferably within an inch of the height of the top surface of the handle. The presence of generally parallel surfaces at the top of the container which are of the same or similar height promotes stacking of the shipping containers, since an uneven effective top surface of the container would tend to result in uneven distribution of stacking load. Preferably, the closure for the pouring aperture includes a measuring cup.
The top wall of the container preferably includes a handle extending from a handle base within the top wall. The handle is generally curved, which applicants anticipate will result in improved compressive strength. A pouring aperture is surrounded by a pouring aperture base which also extends from the top wall.
The container may comprise a valve assembly which preferably includes at least two separate pieces, (i) a valve and (ii) a collar for securing the valve to the container. The valve may include a base, a valve head, a valve stem and a resilient valve actuator.
For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments and to the accompanying drawings.